


Soul Mates in Time: Revised

by AstridMikaelson



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 14:51:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16518566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstridMikaelson/pseuds/AstridMikaelson
Summary: This is the same story as on Fanfiction.net. Reposting so that the two stories match which makes updating both eaiser.Bonnie, Caroline and Elena are sent back in time to connect with their soulmates.





	1. Into the Past

**_**Chapter 1** _ **

 

__October 23, 2010_ _

__Elena,_ _

__Today I did things I abhor to protect the one thing I value most, my family. If anyone can understand it, it's you. Your compassion is a gift, Elena. Carry it with you, as I will carry my regret. Always and forever._ _

__Elijah._ _

 

****December 8th, 2011– Mystic Falls** **

 

Elena set the letter down once she finished reading it for the umpteenth time. No matter how many times she read the words over the past year they still haunted her, just as the man who left the letter did. Why would he leave his family's motto in his letter to her? Why tell her that he loved her only to leave? Because she knew that even though he had not said those three words specifically, she knew that that was what the Always and forever at the end of his letter meant. She had once asked him what that phrase meant to him and she was surprised to learn that it meant love. Specifically love of family or those deemed as family. The first time she had read those words she had been surprised to see the phrase but now after a year of rereading the words she had to wonder why he had left them for her if she meant nothing to him and Elijah never said things he did not mean. No, she couldn't mean anything to him. After all, he had wanted her dead after her ultimate betrayal at the ball the year before. Besides that, he had made it quite clear that he still held a strong affection for Katherine, or as he called her Katerina. Yet if that was true then why had he left Dr. Fell his blood for her use if she were to need it? His actions confused her greatly and she could not understand why he had done what he did. Why try to save her life after wanting to take it?

Looking out the window she sighed. She wished she had seen what had been right in front of her all along. She had no doubt that Elijah was the one she was meant to be with forever. Of course it had taken her dying and then becoming a vampire to see it, which she found rather ironic. As much as she loved both Salvatore brothers she wasn’t in love with either of them. Thinking back on her tumultuous relationship with her favorite Original she began see just how firm a hold he had over her heart even from the beginning of their acquaintance. Had she fallen for him so soon after their first meeting? Had he in turn fallen for her? And if so could she have meant more to him than he let on even then? It couldn't be? Could it? Is that why she couldn't get the look of agony that had appeared on his face when she had stabbed herself at the lake house out of her head? She shook her head to clear out the images that surfaced. She still hated herself for daggering him at the lake house. She should never have allowed Damon and Stefan to tell her to do it. After all, Elijah had done nothing to deserve it. As a matter of fact, now that she really thought about it she began to see that every time she and the Original were in close proximity to each other the two brothers would get very uptight and overprotective of her. She sighed once more and pulled her eyes back down to the diary that was laying open in her lap, his letter laying open on top of the journal. Her thoughts went back to their first meeting and the feelings that started with that meeting.

She could remember the fear she had felt when she had awoken in the old rundown mansion outside Mystic Falls. She remembered questioning Rose, the vampire who was holding her hostage, about who the Originals were. She remembered the fear that Rose had instilled in her before she had ever even met Elijah. But nothing had prepared her for his sheer presence. She could remember standing there in that room staring up at him when he had first arrived. It was like she was completely transfixed just by his presence alone. Then he had flashed to her but the speed of his approach had not scared her as she had a feeling he had wanted it to. She had felt many things that day but fear of him had not been one of them. Sure, she had trembled when he leaned close to her and she had been so sure that he was going to kiss her, but when he had simply inhaled before pulling back to look at her, she wasn't sure what to think. She just could not explain the strange pull she felt with him so close to her. She was drawn to him in a way that she had never felt before and it confused her greatly. When he had finally spoken to her, she had nearly melted into a puddle right there from both his gaze and his voice. Her whole body had seemed to come alive in a way she had never felt before. His beautiful brown eyes always held an intensity that made her feel like he was seeing straight into her very soul whenever he looked at her. She couldn't explain it but she somehow got the feeling that he wouldn't hurt her if he could help it. Why else would he come to her rescue so many times during their brief acquaintance. Surely it wasn't just because she had been a tool in his plan to kill his brother. There had to be some other reason for his intervention whenever she was in trouble. Then there was the fact that there seemed to be a strange bond between them that only got stronger as time went on. She understood him in a way that no one else did. Perhaps it was because they both were very family oriented and would do anything for their families. Maybe that was why she had easily forgiven him for leaving her in that cave after the ball. Maybe that was why his letter to her had touched her so deeply.

She found herself looking down at the letter once more her fingers tracing the letters lovingly. It didn't matter if his letter had absolved her of any guilt, she still felt guilty for betraying him. She knew that she could have found a way to warn him and yet she hadn’t. She had let him drink the spelled champagne as if there was nothing wrong. She could still feel the guilt that had plagued her the entire night and most of the following morning before he had shown up at her door. She wished that he had let her explain why she had to do it because she knew he would understand but he had not allowed her to say anything in her own defense which when she thought about it had hurt. Instead he had left her in the cave with his sister who wanted her dead and would have killed her had they not stopped Esther in time. She wondered if his guilt for leaving her in the cave with his sister had been the catalyst for him leaving Doctor Fell his blood for her use alone.

Sighing, she shook her head to clear it, but her thoughts were continuously plagued by her relationship or lack thereof with the noble Original. She also knew that their relationship was riddled with misunderstandings and betrayals. Both of them had gone back on their word too many times to count but they always seemed to forgive the other no matter what. She just wished he had stuck around long enough for her to tell him how she felt, especially now that she had worked out what she felt for him. She was deeply in love with him and wanted to be with him forever. She shook her head as she thought about the man who unknowingly held her heart. She wanted to laugh at the irony of the fact that she was in love with the one man that didn’t want her, but couldn't bring herself to. He had once told her that he didn't believe in love and that it was a vampires greatest weakness but she knew that that was a lie. Love was not a weakness nor could it ever be. For the millionth time she began to wonder if what she felt for him wasn't so one-sided, especially after the memory of the lake house incident had resurfaced. She could still feel the way he had held her so tenderly before she had plunged the dagger into his heart. She continued to ask herself if it was possible that he did harbor some feelings for her even though he had told her, after she had undaggered him, he would never make the mistake of falling for a Petrova Doppelganger again. Could it be that for a man who never lied, he had lied about his feelings for her? She wanted to dismiss that thought but it lingered.

Shaking her head once more, she thought about the reaction she would get from her friends and family if she ever got the nerve to tell them who her sire was. They had been asking her since her transition who sired her but she always brushed off their question, but as the year had worn on she was beginning to wonder if they had figured it out. The looks they would give her at times made her wonder. Alaric especially seemed to know who her sire really was and he seemed fine with it but she knew that the others would not be so supportive. Her friends and family were not at all likely to embrace the fact that an Original had turned her even if it had not been his intention to do so. After all, Elijah had wanted her human, just as Stefan and Damon had. If they ever found out it had been Elijah’s blood that had turned her she would never hear the end of it, for none of them cared for the Originals and they all especially held a strong animosity towards Elijah. Jeremy, Stefan and Damon despised him for betraying her after the sacrifice. No, her telling them that it was his blood that had turned her was not a good idea. Bonnie and Caroline were the only two who could probably empathize with her as they both were holding a torch for their own Original brother.

Then again the only reason she even knew who her sire was, was because she had compelled Meredith Fell to tell her whose blood she had given to her after her head injury the day of her “death”. She had expected it to be Damon's as the good doctor used his blood to treat her patients but when the doctor had told her under compulsion that it had been Elijah's she had been shocked. She had stood there wondering why he would donate his blood to save her should she need it. She had asked herself why over and over again as she could not understand why he would do something like that for her especially after he had basically threatened to kill her after he had found out about her betrayal after the ball. Having told the doctor to forget everything related to her “recovery” she had left the hospital. At first she had not known what to feel about being sired by her favorite Original but as time had gone on she had gotten used to the idea and found she liked that he was her sire, as it had made their bond only that much stronger.

She silently wondered if being sired directly from an Original was any different from being sired by a regular vampire. Could a bond of sorts form between the Original and his or her sireling? And if so had he felt her transition? And if he had did he just not care? Those thoughts plagued her mind before she reminded herself that Elijah had wanted her to stay human. He had not wanted her to have to go though what he and his siblings had. She was sure he had no idea that she had even been turned because she knew that if he had he would have made it his mission to help her transition go as smoothly as possible if that had been her desire and if not he would have stayed by her side til the end. He would not have forced her to turn just to keep her around. There were, however, several perks to being sired directly from an Original, like the fact that she was slightly more immune to the effects of the sun like they were. Also her strength and speed were far more enhanced than that of a regular vampire. There was also the fact that like them she could compel both witches and other vampires. The only reason she knew of this little talent was because she had accidentally compelled both Bonnie and Caroline to tell her who they truly loved on a girls night not so long ago. Had she been in for a surprise when she learned that they both held a torch for their own Original brother. She had yet to test the theory about a werewolf bite. Seeing as the cure for said bite was hundreds of miles away and she really didn't want to die now that she had gotten used to her new life, she didn't want to be wrong about the effect it would have on her.

Thinking about her transformation was still a sore spot for her, despite all the perks that came with it. Even now, she still had not forgiven Damon for his high handedness in forcing her to turn. When all her compelled memories returned she had wanted to kill Damon. She had been surprised that she had met him first then that surprise had turned to anger. He could have saved her parents. She had lost count how many times he had compelled her, knowing how much she hated it. Then there was Stefan. Though not as bad as his brother, he had compelled her a few times, the first time being when he had rescued her on the night her parents had died. Even though he would always be her first love, she had lost all respect for both Salvatore brothers, especially after she had told them that she could not and would not choose between them. As soon as the words had left her mouth, they had both accused her of being exactly like Katherine. She had looked at them both with a look of loathing before telling them that she was not now nor would she ever be Katherine then she had walked out of the Boarding House and had yet to return. Nor had she spoken to either of the brothers since that day. She refused their calls going so far as putting the house in Jeremy's name and having Bonnie place a spell on the house that would revoke all vampires from entering unless invited to do so. Jeremy, having learned what had happened between his sister and the Salvatore’s, refused them entry into the house.

Sighing, she wondered if Bonnie could do a spell that would tell her who she was meant to be with as she wanted to know if Elijah was really the one she was meant for. That thought in mind, she grabbed her coat and left the house intent on finding Bonnie.

Caroline and Bonnie were at the Grill when Elena walked in. Seeing her, they waved her over and she bounded over before sliding in to sit by Caroline. “So what's new?” she asked as she grabbed a menu.

Caroline answered before Bonnie could say anything. “Bonnie wants to do a spell that would tell her who her future husband will be. So I asked if she could do it for me too!”

Elena looked over to her friend and then asked if Bonnie could also perform the spell for her. Bonnie agreed and said that she need a few things for the spell but she would perform it on the next full moon which was in a few days time.

“Oh, don't forget we have sparring practice in the morning,” Elena reminded her two best friends. Bonnie and Caroline nodded and they continued to talk until the Grill was closing up for the night and they all returned to the respective homes wondering who their future mates were.

 

****December 9th, 2011** **

****

“Alaric, must we really do this again?” Bonnie, Caroline and Elena moaned as they met him in the meadow by the falls. They loved their sparring lessons they just wished he didn't want to do them so early in the morning.

“You all agreed to this training so stop complaining. Besides think of it as an extension to your hunter training,” he returned throwing each young woman a small broadsword. They caught the weapons with practiced ease and then began the sparring match with him.

Alaric was surprised by their moaning. He had been teaching their history class about the Viking era and the different classes in their society nearly three months before their graduation, when he had heard Elena, Bonnie and Caroline talking about how they wished that they could fight like the shield maidens from their history books. He had decided right then and there that he would teach them himself as he was practiced in all kinds of combat, ancient and modern. And so their lessons began. He was surprised at how fast the three girls had picked up on the fighting style and how graceful each one moved as they sparred with him. He had expected Caroline and Elena to be that graceful, being that with vampires it just came naturally, but Bonnie was proving her worth as a fighter too. He admired the way the three friends had taken to the training with such grace and poise as well as deadly precision. He had to wonder if they had trained in the art before but shook it off. So lost in thought he almost didn't realize that they had all stopped moving and each had a sword poised at his neck with identical grins on their faces.

“You three did very well today. I am proud of you,” he stated as they left they field.

As they left the field he thought about why he had decided to teach them the skills he was now teaching them. He didn't want to see any of them die. It was the reason he had chosen to teach them to fight. He knew that Damon and Stefan would throw a fit when they learned he was teaching the girls, especially Elena, close combat with a deadly weapon. Especially after the young woman in question had ended things with the two of them a few weeks after her transformation. He had decided that Elena needed a way to protect herself and the ones she loved. He knew that the poor girl had already lost too much in her young life and he wanted to give her a way to protect the only remaining family she had left.

Alaric still couldn't believe that it had been a year since he had died and was resurrected. He still blamed himself for the fact that Elena had been killed and subsequently turned to stop him from killing every Original, most notably, Klaus. Yet, seeing how far she had come in so little time made him smile and he vowed to protect her even if he was a hunter that killed her kind. Though, he had to wonder whose blood had turned her as Damon and Stefan had said that neither of them had contributed and neither had Caroline. They could tell by smell that none of them had given her blood the day she died though they could not place the scent of the blood that now flowed through her veins. Alaric wondered if any of them had an idea as to whose blood had changed her as he had his own suspicions in that regard. Since none of the resident vampires had contributed the blood, that left the Originals. It would explain why they couldn't place the scent of the blood in Elena's system. He had to wonder which Original then had contributed blood before she died to turn her as that was the only logical solution left. Who else would have gone to such lengths to save her? His first thought was Elijah as he was the closest to Elena and probably the only Original that Alaric actually respected and liked.

As he walked back to his apartment, (he had decided not to live with the Gilbert siblings after everything that had happened in the past year) he silently wondered what would happen if the girls were pitted against the Originals in a sparring match. Who would come out the victor? That thought had him chuckling.

 

 ****December** ** ****10** ** ** **th** ** ****,** ** ****2011** **

****

The day of the full moon arrived and Elena was preparing herself for the answers that she sought when she suddenly blacked out.

 

_Elena_

_Where am I? Who are you?_

_You are still in your room and I apologize child, my name is Ayana and I have contacted you to warn you of the consequences of the spell Bonnie is going to perform tonight._

_Ayana, as in the same witch that was alive when the Originals were still human?_

_Yes_

_What do you mean the consequences of the spell exactly?_

_The spell she is going to perform will send you all into the past_

_The Past?! Why are you telling me this shouldn't you be warning her?_

_Yes, the past and no, I chose you because one, your blood is required for the spell and two, it is you that will change the course of history._

_But my blood was rendered useless when I was turned_

_No, it wasn't_

_What do you mean by that?_

_You were turned by an Original, Elena. The magic in your blood combined with the magic that turned them caused your blood to keep its magical quality. It basically caused you to become an Original yourself, with all the same strengths and weaknesses._

_Okay... so how long will we be in the past exactly?_

_A little over eight months your time_

_My time? What's that supposed to mean precisely?_

_Time runs differently when you time travel you will see what I mean_

_And how am I going to change history?_

_You will see_

 

With those words Elena awoke. She was confused by Bonnie's ancestors words. How in the world was she going to change history? And the spell..... The spell. That thought had Elena running out of her house and on her way to Bonnie's.

“BONNIE!” Elena screamed as she burst into her friends home.

“Elena, whats wrong?” Bonnie looked up started by her best friends sudden appearance.

“The spell! We can't do it. It's going to send us into the past though I don't know how far.”

“Elena, it's just a locator spell, nothing like that is going to happen, I promise. The spell is designed to show you your soul mate nothing more nothing less,” Bonnie said trying to calm her friend.

“No, Bon, you don't understand. Ayana, your ancestor, contacted me a little while ago. She said that the spell you are going to perform is going to send us back into the past and that somehow I am going to change history though she didn't say how that is going to happen and we all know that when you time travel you can't reveal to much or it will effect the events of the past and future,” Elena said in a rushed panic.

“Elena, calm down. Maybe all she meant was that we would travel back to a time when we had met our soul mates but did not realize it at the time. It's okay,” Bonnie returned unconcerned with what Elena was telling her.

For her part Elena was still worried. What if they ended up someplace where there was no way to return home again? What if they had to live the rest of their lives in an alternate reality?

Elena worried about the spell until Caroline arrived shortly before midnight when Bonnie was going to do the spell.

 

 ****Decembe** ** ****r 11** ** ** **th** ** ****,** ** ****2011 – 12:00 AM** **

 

“Okay, Caroline and Elena, I need a drop of blood each on the center candle,” Bonnie said softly as she placed her own blood on the candle and prepared to chant the spell.

 Elena, who was still unsure but allowing her natural curiosity to get the better of her, pricked her finger and allowed a drop of blood to drop onto the candle. Caroline followed soon after.

Bonnie then began to chant the spell.

 

_Ta pnévmata ton mágiston anevaínoun, chorís na vlépoun ton ouranó_

_Mas férnei píso sto simeío pou tha vroúme, ti théloume ston tópo kai ston chróno_

_Ta pnévmata ton palaión akoún tin ékklisi mas deíchnoun aftá pou anazitoúme_

_Oi anoichtés kardiés kai ta anoichtá myalá mas deíchnoun óti oi psychológoi mas epitrépoun na doúme._

 

The candles flared to life and the wind picked up. Suddenly everything went black.


	2. From New Orleans to Mystic Falls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Originals decide to return to Mystic Falls

**_**Chapter 2** _ **

****December 8** ** ** **th** ** ****, 2011 - New Orleans** **

 

Three male vampires and one female vampire sat together in silence which was a first for them. There was never a time that they could sit in the same room and not try to kill each other but this time they were all in deep thought. Each had a inkling that they had left something behind in the small town of Mystic Falls. They each wanted to return to claim what they felt was theirs but none of them could bring themselves to do it. There was just too much pain and betrayal associated with the ones they had left behind.

As they each sat and thought about the one they had left behind, they wondered if the reason that they couldn't bring themselves to return to that small town was because they had become too jaded to believe in love. After all, love was a vampires greatest weakness.....or was it?

Rebekah sat thinking about the man whom from their first meeting she had known was her soul mate. Stefan Salvatore was her mate, she was sure of it. How else could she explain the pull she felt when near him? She had fallen for him in the twenties and had decided to leave with him. She would have had Mikael not found them and tried once again to kill her brother Nik and her. That decision had cost her nearly a century locked away in her box, daggered for her supposed betrayal. Even now, she hated to admit it to anyone that she still loved him. But as long as he was chasing the doppelganger, who ironically she knew her elder brother Elijah was in love with, she couldn’t pursue any type of relationship with him. She may still love him but he had lost her trust when he had tried to kill her and her family. She knew that when she had run Elena and that human boy Matt off the bridge, Stefan would try and save the doppelganger first and had not stuck around long enough to see it happen, the pain too much to bare. Last she had heard Elena was still alive and doing well; still being doted upon by both brothers.

Kol Mikaelson's mind kept going back to the little witch with vivid green eyes who had captured his eye. Bonnie Bennett certainly had the fire he admired in the Bennett line of witches. He could still see the way she looked at the ball his mother had thrown. Though he remembered that his mother had begrudgingly invited the witch. He never did understand why his mother had not wanted her there. She was after all a descendant of her best friend. He would have thought that she would have wanted to get to know the girl. Also there was the fact that it had been Bonnie who had released her from her sealed coffin. He could still see the way her coffee colored skin had seemed to gleam that night and he knew that that had been the day he had fallen for her. He longed to claim her as his but she was not so willing to fall into his arms as many other had before her. It was one of the many reasons he had fallen for her. He loved her stubbornness and he enjoyed the challenge she presented him and he wondered why he couldn't get her out of his head.

Niklaus' mind was on a certain blonde baby vampire whose sweet bubbly nature had captured his attention almost from the first day he had met her. He knew he had very deep seated feelings for her, not that he would ever admit to openly loving her though. He had promised her that he would be her last love and he fully intended to keep that promise. Though she would have to come to him now, he wasn't giving up on her, not by a long shot, but he was tired of pursuing the young woman when at every turn she rebuffed him. He had tried to show her his softer side, a side he showed to no one, but she had still snubbed him. He would allow her time to realize that he wasn't kidding when he had told her that he fancied her. She was the first one that had captured his attention since his time as a human. After the fiasco with Tatia, he had sworn off love calling it a weakness. But he could not shake the feeling of protectiveness that welled up inside him whenever she was near. Caroline Forbes would be his, he was sure of it.

Elijah sat holding a book but his mind was not on the tome in his hands. No, his mind was on a certain doe eyed doppelganger whose humanity and compassionate nature had captured him, heart and soul. He knew that he had lied to her when he had told her that he would not make the mistake of falling for another Petrova. It had taken everything in him to tell her that lie especially since it wasn't in his nature to lie about anything. By the time he had written the letter he had left her, he had known that he was deeply and irrevocably in love with her. Elena Gilbert was so different from her predecessors. While they were both a bit ruthless in their pursuit of him and his brother, Elena had not tried to pursue him. In fact, she had asked nothing from him but his trust and friendship. Their relationship had had many ups and downs and he knew that she understood him better than anyone he had ever encountered in his very long life.

He wanted to tell her how he felt, wanted her to know it had nothing to do with Tatia or Katerina and everything to do with her. However, he knew that she had her hands full with both Salvatore brothers vying for her attention. There was no room for him in her already hectic love life even if he wished there was, yet he knew that he would wait an eternity for her. That was the main reason he had left his blood with Doctor Fell with instructions to give it to Elena should she ever be in need of it. He didn't understand why he felt the need to donate his blood for her use as he had never done anything like that in his very long life. In fact it wasn’t the first time he had offered it to her. No, the first time was when she had defied him while she was at her families lake house. He had called her bluff not believing she had it in her to actually hurt herself. He had been surprised when she had stabbed herself and an overwhelming need to protect her, to save her, had consumed him. He had asked her to allow him to heal her something he had never done in his very long life. There was just something about her and he felt a deep seated need to protect her at all costs. He longed to return to her, in fact, wanted to more than anything, but he knew that she would most likely not welcome him back especially not after he had wanted her dead, a fact that he still felt guilty about. Especially after he had come to terms with his feelings for her. He wondered if she would understand what he had been trying to convey with his final words of his letter to her. Always and Forever. He smiled inwardly as he thought of her reaction to those two words. To anyone else they would not mean much but he knew Elena knew the meaning behind them. He knew she was a smart young woman and would most likely figure out why he had left them for her and what it meant. Always and Forever. He would give that to her and more if only she would let him.

His thoughts then went to the strange jolt he had felt right after leaving Mystic Falls the year before. He had only ever felt that jolt once in his lifetime and that had been when he had sired his first vampire. But it was the strange feeling of sensing a presence with him constantly that had him worried as that had never happened to any of his siblings or himself. So why could he feel her presence when he knew for a fact that she was hundreds of miles away? Was it the strange bond they seemed to share and had shared from the beginning of their acquaintance finally manifesting itself or was it something else entirely? Suddenly he remembered something a witch had once told him and it had him sitting up straight in his seat, dropping the tome in his hands in his shock. How could he have not sensed it before now? But it couldn't be! But how? How could she be his soul mate? But then another thought came barreling into his head. How had she been turned? Because there was no doubt now in his mind that that was what the jolt had meant. He felt himself mourning her lost humanity something he would have given anything to keep intact. He silently prayed to any deity that would listen that she would manage to keep her compassion and humanity intact as it would be a shame to see her turn off her emotions.

Looking around the room he could see that his siblings were all deep in thought and he had a feeling he knew where their thoughts were taking them. Mystic Falls and the ones that they had left behind. He had a feeling that he and his family were going to be going back there very soon.

 

****December 9** ** ** **th** ** ****, 2011** **

 

When the Originals awoke the next morning they all wondered if they could talk the rest of their family into returning to Mystic Falls and if not the prudency in just going back on their own. They each shrugged the thought away before getting ready for the day. Elijah and Rebekah were the first to walk into the Compound's large kitchen.

“Good morning, Rebekah,” Elijah said in a way of greeting his baby sister.

“Morning, 'Lijah,” she returned before asking softly, “Do you think Nik would mind returning to Mystic Falls?”

Her question caught him off guard. “And why pray tell would you want to return to that town, Sister?”

“I have my reasons,” was all she would say before saying, “You can't tell me that you have no wish to return there, Brother. I may be younger than you but I do have eyes and I know that you love Elena, even if you will not admit to it.”

Elijah could only stare at his sister in surprise. How had she known of his feelings for Elena when he himself had just come to terms with how he felt? He was still in shock that Elena was not only a vampire now and that he had sired her but that she was also his soul mate. He knew it was unheard of for a vampire to just walk way from the one they were meant for and yet he had as, he had a feeling, had his siblings.

Rebekah smirked as she watched her elder brothers face. “'Lijah, I have known since the day before Mother's ball when you rescued her from me that you were in love with the doppelganger. I think that is the only reason I didn't kill her when you left the two of us in the cave together. You always fall for that face, Brother, but with her it was different and even though I want to hate her, I can't seem to find it in me to do so anymore. I mean yes, she daggered me after offering her friendship, which really pissed me off, but after I saw how willing she was to place her life in danger to save her friends and family... I realized that she was different from both Tatia and Katerina. She is more like you than you think, and if you think that you could win her love, I would welcome her as a sister.”

“Rebekah....” Elijah began only to stop. To say he was surprised by his baby sister’s change of heart would have been an understatement. He was downright thunderstruck by her admission.

“Even if Nik won't go back to Mystic Falls I want to. If only to apologize for trying to kill her again last year.”

That got Elijah's attention and he glared at his sister before growling, “And how did you try to kill her exactly?”

She was shocked by the growled question but answered anyway, “I was distraught when they tried to desiccate Nik....that I kind of ran her and Matt off Wickery Bridge. Stefan though jumped in and I assumed saved her first as I couldn't see him saving the human first. Last I heard she was still alive. Why?”

“Because I have the strangest feeling that she might be alive but she is no longer human,” he said still glowering at his baby sister.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked startled by her brother’s demeanor.

“I mean that I felt a jolt last year around the time that their little gang tried to kill Niklaus. The same time frame as your little stunt, Rebekah.”

Rebekah paled, if that was even possible for a vampire, and stared at her brother in shock. If he had felt the jolt then that means that Stefan saved Matt first, but then how could Elena still be alive unless she had vampire blood in her system before she went into the river. “But how? She wasn't near any vampires that day as they had made her leave town that morning?” she asked confused.

“She must have needed the blood I left with Dr. Fell before I left and before they made her leave,” he stated sitting down. The realization that Elena was now a vampire still was not sitting well with him even after discovering the fact a few hours earlier.

“You left her your blood? Elijah…you have never done anything like that before! Can you feel her?” she asked wondering if she was right about about the bond that seemed to be between her brother and Elena. She knew that it wasn't a sire bond because of Elena's connection to both Salvatore brothers and she wondered if it could be a rare mating bond. If it was the latter and he was able to feel her, then it would explain feeling her presence even though she was hundreds of miles away.

“I know, Bekah. But I felt almost compelled to leave it for her. I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind it either. The only thing I can think of is that I love her and I needed to make sure she was cared for in my absence. And yes, I can feel her. I think it is the bond I share with her making itself known to me somehow,” he explained.

"Actually...I think it's more than that, 'Lijah," she whispered so softly he almost didn't hear her. She wanted to run when she saw the murderous look in her brothers eyes and she knew she deserved it. She had after all, killed his mate not knowing she had vampire blood in her system when she died. She would not fault her brother if he managed to find a way to incapacitate her for her deed.

"Explain," he growled all the while glaring at his sister.

"I think the reason you are feeling her presence is because she is your mate," she stated softly before sitting in the closest chair to her. This was most unquestionably a surprise. Nik was not going to be happy to learn that the doppelganger was Elijah’s mate nor would he be happy to find out that she had deprived him of the doppelgangers blood to use for making hybrids, she had made it so Elena would not be able to continue her family line. The doppelganger line had ended with Elena. She glanced up to look at her elder brother who had yet to say anything after her revelation to him.

"How...how do you know that she is my mate?" he finally managed to ask, taking a seat next to her.

"Ayana. She told me after we were turned that we each had a mate out there somewhere and when we found them we would know. She said that it would be a similar feeling to finding our soul mates as a human but instead of only feeling an urge to be close to our soul mate a bond of sorts would develop between us and them even if they were still human at the time but if they were ever turned then the feeling would grow stronger as time went on. As I said before I am not blind, Elijah. I saw the bond between you and Elena from the first time I saw the two of you together. I didn't like it because of what she had done to me but it doesn't mean I didn't know it was there.”

Elijah was silent after listening to his younger siblings explanation. He was shocked by what he had learned. So not only was Elena his soul mate but she was also his mate! He didn't know what to feel. He regretted ever leaving her and wanted to return to her side as soon as possible. He was pulled from his thoughts when Rebekah stated softly, “I truly hope that those two brothers know what they are getting themselves into trying to help a sireling that was sired directly from an Original.”

“All the more reason to return to Mystic Falls, don't you agree, Sister,” he returned with a small smile.

She looked up sharply at his gentle tone, astonished that he would agree to return to the little town. ”’Lijah....”

“I have to know how she is faring in her new life, Bekah. As her sire, I should have been there to help her through the transition if she had wanted to go through with it. But knowing the Salvatore’s they most likely forced her to turn whether it was her choice or not. And as her mate and the man who loves her deeply, I can't just sit here and do nothing.”

“Then I am going with you,” she stated resolutely.

Just then their two brothers made their way into the room. “I think it is time to return to Mystic Falls,” Niklaus stated calmly as he walked into the room surprising his siblings with the announcement.

“Nik?” all three of his siblings questioned each in shock at the pronouncement from the hybrid.

“Well, I for one left something precious behind and I want to retrieve it,” he stated vaguely. Even though he had told himself that Caroline would have to come to him he was still surprised that it was he himself who was the one returning to her. He had to shake his head at the irony.

“And what is so precious to you that you have to return there to get it?” Kol asked.

“Caroline,” was all the hybrid would say and all of his sibling had to hide their knowing smirks from their brother. They had a feeling that was the reason he wanted to return to the small town they had left the year prior.

He looked at his siblings a smile playing on the edges of his lips. He knew that they all wanted to return, it was easy to see in all their faces. Each had left something behind and though Klaus refused to say it was their hearts, he knew that that was exactly why each of his siblings and himself wanted to return to the town they had fled the year before. “So are there any questions? If not I will make the arrangements to leave by weeks end.” That said he turned and left his siblings to stare after him.

“If I didn't know any better I would say our brother has fallen in love,” Kol said in shock.

“Well, he isn't the only one, 'Lijah here has fallen too,” Rebekah stated with a small laugh at the outrage on her brother's face at her telling his deep dark secret.

“I'm going take a wild guess and say he's fallen for a certain doe-eyed doppelganger that goes by the name Elena Gilbert,” Kol said cheekily.

Elijah, having had enough of his younger siblings teasing, decided to one up them by saying, “And I suppose that you don't want to return to a certain green-eyed Bennet witch, Kol? Or you Rebekah. The reason you want to return to Mystic Falls has nothing to do with the younger Salvatore brother?”

Rebekah was shocked that her brother had figured out the real reason she wanted to return to that town. Shacking her head she turned to head out of the room.

Kol ducked his head and tried hard not to let it show that his brother had caught him. “And what if I do?”

“Then I say that we had better get packed because I have a feeling pursuing these three young women, is not going to be easy. I mean I left Elena when she needed me the most.”

“What do you mean by that 'Lijah?” Kol asked intrigued.

Before his brother could answer Rebekah turned back around and said, “Elena was turned into a vampire shortly after he left Mystic Falls.”

“I see. So which Salvatore brother do I get to see die for turning her?”

“Neither!” growled Elijah which took Kol by surprise before he realized why his brother was so upset. “Eli?”

“It was my blood that turned her, Kol.”

“How?!”

“I gave Dr. Fell my blood to give to Elena should she ever have need of it. I am guessing that she had been given my blood sometime during the day of Niklaus' near destruction and that night was run off the bridge heading into town and drowned. I felt the jolt that accompanies our siring someone shortly thereafter but didn't think anything of it believing it a fluke. But for the past year I have felt her presence with me daily. It wasn't until this morning that I found out why. I have failed her too many times already I am not about to fail her again. I will do my duty to her as her sire.” He was not going to tell his brother that he had walked away from his mate.

“Well, I guess it's decided then,” quipped Rebekah who then flounced off to go pack.

 

****December 10** ** ** **th** ** ****, 2011** **

 

The Originals were each packed and ready to go by the following morning after the decision to return to Mystic Falls had been made. Soon they would be where they were meant to be.

The rest of the day they found themselves finalizing their plans to leave. Klaus called his house staff in Mystic Falls and told them to have the house opened and ready for their arrival the following day. That done, he called Marcel and told him that he was returning to Mystic Falls for the foreseeable future and that he wanted him to keep watch while he and his family were away. When all his phone calls were finished he grabbed his bags and headed to Elijah's SUV.

By two that afternoon they were headed to the airport all counting the minutes until they were back in the little town that they had each left their heart behind in.

They each settled into their seats as their private plane prepared to take off. Each thinking about what they were going to say to the one they had left behind once they saw them again.

They reached Richmond by seven that evening and Klaus called to be sure that his orders had been carried out. When it was confirmed that the house was ready for their arrival they piled into the SUV they had left at the airport when they had left Mystic Falls the prior year and headed towards the small town.

When they arrived everything was the same as when they had left. They agreed to wait until the following day before they each went to speak to the one they had left behind. That settled, they each bid each other goodnight before heading to bed.


	3. Waking up 1012 years in the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls awaken in the past

**_**Chapter 3** _ **

 

****somewhere in the distant past - Outside of Mystic Falls** **

****

Elena came to slowly. Groaning, she placed a hand to her head to quell the dizziness that had started before slowly sitting up. The first thing she noticed was that Bonnie’s house was nowhere to be seen and that she was sitting in the middle of a forest. Confused momentarily she began to wonder what happened before panic set in and she stood hoping to see both of her best friends nearby but when she didn’t fear took hold of her. Had they been separated? Panicked, she called out their names, “Bonnie? Caroline?” frantically hoping one of them would hear her.

It was then she noticed an odd sight. A village stood not far from where she was standing, however, she was confused as to why she was seeing a village that looked like something from her history book. The next thing she noticed were her clothes. Looking down at herself she instantly saw that she was dressed strangely. Instead of the jeans and tee she had been wearing when Bonnie had done the spell, she was now dressed in an emerald colored, long sleeved, wool dress complete with a waist cincher. She took notice that the dress was something out of the late tenth or early eleventh century and her stomach dropped. Ayana's warning came back to her then and she realized that the spirit of the dead witch had been right. Bonnie's spell had sent them back in time and she had a feeling she knew just how far back they had been sent judging by her mode of dress and the village in the distance. Shrugging the thought away, until she could find her friends, she made her way to the village wanting to see if Caroline and Bonnie had not only seen the village but made their way to it too.

As she walked towards the village she took in her own appearance. Not only was she wearing a dress but she noticed that her skin tone had lightened dramatically. Where it had been a nice shade of olive before it was now nearly the same shade as Caroline's. Her hair had gone from a dark brown to almost a golden brown in color and was falling in soft waves down her back to her waist. She had a feeling she knew why her appearance had changed so drastically and secretly wondered if the spirits had granted her deepest and most secret wish or if it had been done on purpose, but again, she wouldn’t think about that until she could find Bonnie and Caroline.

While walking into the village outskirts she also found it a little odd that she couldn't hear human heartbeats anymore. She also noticed that there was no movement at all in the village which seemed strange at first but then she saw why as she finally walked into it. There were bodies and blood scattered everywhere! The whole village looked like it had been through a war. She found herself covering her nose and mouth at the horrendous smell and tried hard not to gag at the sight. Looking around she wondered what had happened. It was then she realized that even with all the blood she felt no bloodlust. She knew that as a vampire the sight of all the blood should have made her ravenous. She silently wondered if she and Caroline had been rendered human again. It would make sense. The fact that she couldn't hear a human heartbeat not even Bonnie's, wherever she was, combined with the lack of bloodlust only solidified her belief.

Caroline awoke to the sound of Elena calling her name. Groaning, she sat up and looked around. She was confused as she didn't see Bonnie's house anywhere nearby. Standing, she looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing a light blue dress that came all the way down to her feet. She remembered seeing something similar in her history book when Alaric had been teaching them about the Viking era. She also had noticed the village not that far from where she was standing which also looked like something from her history books. She likewise noticed that her hair had grown longer and was falling in soft curls down to her waist. Walking into the village, she saw who she thought was Elena staring at the carnage that was all around her.

“Elena?” Caroline asked cautiously as she walked towards the young woman. Like Elena, Caroline was slightly confused as to why she felt no blood lust when looking at the carnage around her.

Elena turned towards Caroline and nodded. Caroline was taken aback by her friends altered appearance. Her friends hair was almost a honey color now instead of the rich mahogany it had been, and like her own hair was down to her waist. But it was Elena's new eye color that shocked Caroline the most. Her eyes were almost a golden honey with a ring of aqua around the pupil instead of the deep brown they had once been. The only thing that had stayed the same about her entire appearance was her voice. “What happened to you? You look so... different.”

“I don't know, Care. My only guess is my appearance changed as not to confuse me with someone else,” Elena replied knowing exactly to whom she was referring to. If she was right about where they had ended up then the only reason her appearance had changed so drastically was so that she would not be confused with her ancestor, the original doppelganger, Tatia Petrova.

“Who in the world would anyone confuse you with around here? I mean Katherine obviously isn't here so....” Caroline's words trailed off as she looked around for Bonnie.

“Care, I want you to hear me out okay and don't freak out. But I think Bonnie's spell sent us back to the time when the Originals were still human. Now I’m just hypothesizing here but its the most logical guess. And I think my appearance changed to keep me from getting confused with Tatia, the original doppelganger.”

“How in the world did you come to that conclusion?” Caroline asked skeptically.

“Well for one, look how we are dressed, Care. It's like we stepped into our history books. Besides that before Bonnie did her spell I was visited by her ancestor, Ayana. The same witch that was alive during the Originals human time. She told me that we were going to be sent back in time but she never said how far back. Care, I can only guess why we are here. Besides that the spell was to locate our soul mates.”

“Elena, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Yes, Care, I am. I have come to the conclusion that we are all soul mates to an Original. We all had feelings for them before this. What if because of their non belief in love we were sent to their human time to change that perception?”

“I was afraid you would say that, Lena. I mean I can’t deny that I had feelings for Klaus before this and I have always known of your connection to Elijah and Bonnie’s attraction to Kol so your hypothesis is a viable one, but that doesn't explain why we are standing in a village that looks like world war three hit it instead of their village,” Caroline said confused. She knew her best friend had no reason to lie to her. In fact, she was the most honest person she knew (besides herself of course).

“Well, that I haven't figured out yet.”

“Elena, I understand what you're saying. I do. I can even understand the spirits transplanting us into their human time but what has any of that got to do with your appearance changing so drastically?”

Leave it to Caroline to focus more on her changed appearance than why they were in the past. Elena had to stop the urge to shake her head before answering her friend. “What do you mean by that? I know my hair and skin have changed....” Elena was cut off as Caroline exclaimed, “Your eyes, Elena. They are no longer dark brown. Instead they are almost the same shade as your hair but with a ring of aqua around the iris. If anything you could easily pass for my sister!”

As they had been talking they had both been looking for Bonnie. By the end of Caroline's rant they had found her laying unconscious on the ground.

Caroline cocked her head and asked, “Elena, is it just me….” she trailed off for a second before regaining her train of thought, “Elena, I don’t want to alarm you, but I can’t hear Bonnie’s heartbeat!”

“No, it’s not just you, Care. I can't hear Bonnie's heart beat either, but I can clearly see that she is still alive,” Elena said as she and Caroline stared at their friends prone form lying on the ground outside the village.

Caroline nodded in agreement before trying to run at vamp speed and finding that she couldn't. “I think we are human again,” Caroline whispered confirming what she had already figured out to be true. She wasn't sure how she felt about that as she had gotten used to being a vampire.

“I think you might be right. But why?” Elena asked confused as she herself had gotten used to being a vampire.

“Well, if we are in the Originals human past, as you seem to think we are, and I am inclined to believe you, then vampires don't exist yet which would have rendered us human too,” Caroline said logically.

Elena nodded in agreement and then lost to her own thoughts she missed Bonnie waking up.

“Okay, where are we?” Bonnie asked standing up after looking around. She had noticed her state of dress and her own change in appearance upon waking and was confused. Like Caroline and Elena, her hair had grown long and was touching her waist.

“Don't know, though Elena has an idea and it seems the most plausible one, seeing as how we are dressed,” Caroline answered.

“Elena? What happened to you? You look like Caroline,” Bonnie gasped in shock once she got a good look at her friend.

“So I have been told. And I don't know what's happened. But remember when I told you yesterday that your spell would send us back in time and you told me not to worry about it? Well, I was right but you are not going to like where we ended up Bonnie.”

“And where have we ended up Elena?” Bonnie asked sarcastically.

“My guess and this is only a hypothetical guess mind you is that we were sent back to the Originals human time. And I think I know why.”

“And why is that?” Bonnie asked still not quite believing that they had been sent so far back in time.

“Bonnie, the spell was to find our soul mates. I think that since our soul mates are Elijah, Klaus and Kol respectively, we were sent to a time when there would be nothing that would hinder us from forming the attachments that had been denied in our time.”

Before Bonnie could say anything against this they heard three voices say, “You would be right about the reason you are here,” causing all three girls to whirl around to face three women that were not there only seconds before.

The girls were at first shocked that three women just showed up out of nowhere but after the day they had had already, anything was possible. “Bonnie, Caroline, Elena,” the three women spoke at once.

“Who are you?” they asked shocked that these three women seemed to know who they were.

“We are the spirits that brought you here,” the three spirits, who looked a lot like distance relations to all three girls, said at the same time.

Bonnie and Caroline stood there confused but Elena had the gall to look guilty. Bonnie finally understood why Elena had been so worried about the spell. There was also one other thing she had failed to mention about the spell to either of her friends as she had not thought that it would matter at the time, seeing as how Elena was or had been a vampire. She realized right then that her friend had been right about the spell sending them to the past.

“What time did we end up in?” Elena asked though she had a pretty good idea but wanted the spirits to confirm her suspicions.

“We brought you to the time when your soul mates needed you the most. Because in your time they or you rejected the bond. The spell Bonnie used was to find your soul mates but we knew that since the bond had already been rejected in your time it would be easier to bring you to a time when there was nothing that would hinder the bond being fulfilled. You, Elena were right in your suspicion about why you were brought to their human time.”

“But couldn’t you have just sent us to them in our own time? I mean there is always a chance of the bond, as you call it, being fixed in that time or was the rejection permanent?” Caroline asked still confused.

“Oh, there was a chance of it being fixed, in fact the Originals all arrived back in Mystic Falls a few hours before Bonnie did the spell. However, their hearts have been so jaded by years of turmoil that they would never have fully been able to complete the bond between you.”

“They returned to Mystic Falls? Why?” Elena asked.

“They all realized that they had left their hearts behind when they left and so they returned in hopes of gaining their hearts desire. But like we said, the bond would never have been truly fulfilled as it should be.”

Bonnie was not sure how she felt about having an Original vampire as her soul mate. But she knew that she had feelings for Kol Mikaelson even if she would never admit it aloud. “So the spell worked,” she mused aloud to herself.

“In a way yes,” one of the three spirits said softly.

“But that still does not tell us what the date and year is,” Elena returned.

“As you have already guessed you are in the Originals human past. The year is 999 the date is December 10th. Elena, you have also figured out both reasons why your appearance has changed so drastically.”

“You mean you…” Elena could hardly believe what she was hearing. They had granted her her deepest wish.

“Yes, we did. We know the pain it caused you but you still retain the blood. We could not change that.”

“Elena?” Caroline and Bonnie asked confused

Before their friend could say anything the three spirits spoke again, “We changed her appearance because it was her deepest wish to not look like the doppelganger. She as tired of being pursued only for what her blood could do and we granted her her wish. But that isn’t the only reason we changed her appearance. We had to do it so that she would not be confused with Tatia.”

“Well, I for one am happy I won’t look like her,” Elena said cheerfully.

“Why so far back? Why not right after they turned?” Caroline asked changing the subject.

“You must be joined with your mates when they turn. It is the only way to balance out nature and keep Esther from trying to kill them in the future.”

“Exactly how are we to keep them from being killed in the future?” Bonnie asked.

“Even the most savage beast can be tamed by love,” the spirits replied.

“But that doesn't answer our question how exactly is that going to keep them from being killed in the future?” Caroline repeated Bonnie's question.

“Like we said, love. By having love in their lives they will focus more on their mates than on mayhem and murder. Which is what caused Esther to want to kill them in the first place.”

“So we have to....But that means we ourselves will ….” None of the girls wanted to think about the implications of the spirits words. They all knew that if the Originals were turned with them as their mates then they in turn would also be turned. It wasn't something any of them were looking forward to.

“Yes, but worry not Bonnie, the spirits are going to protect your magic and by extension your mates magic when the time comes.”

This took Bonnie by surprise as she knew that you could not be both a vampire and a witch. The spirits sensing her inner thoughts said, “You and your mate will be hybrids. We have seen what happened to him in the original time line and we cannot have it happen again. It is one of the things that we are changing and one of the reasons you are here.”

Caroline and Elena listened to the spirits and then a thought came to both girls. “But what about Rebekah? Won't she feel left out? Why not send her mate here as well?” They both asked, curious as to what their answer would be.

“Because she is not ready for her mate nor he her. She will have the three of you to keep her grounded until the time when she does meet her mate. A mate to whom you all know.”

The girls looked at the spirits trying to figure out what they could mean and then Elena gasped. Stefan! They were referring to Stefan. It was the most logical explanation as she knew that they had known each other before she and Stefan had met and it was one of the reasons Rebekah hated her. At least now she knew that he would find happiness with another.

“Stefan. Stefan is her soul mate isn't he?”

“Yes,” was the only thing the spirits would say.

“Why exactly did we end up in this village? I mean if we are supposed to be with them why send us here?” Bonnie asked changing the subject and asking the question that Caroline and Elena had been asking themselves since they realized where they were.

“This is the village where your counterparts once lived. When we brought you here we sent them to your time with all of your memories and none of their own. Just as your memories will fade shortly of your time in your time period. You three essentially exchanged lives.”

“But why? Ayana's spirit said we would only be gone from our time for a little over eight months. So why would we have to have someone else take our place in our time?” Elena asked.

“Yes, and your telling us that we all fundamentally had something like a doppelganger living in this village that we basically changed places with?” Bonnie and Caroline said together.

“The why is simple. Balance. Nature must be kept balanced.”

“That still doesn't answer our question, “ the three girls pointed out.

“Like we said nature has to be kept balanced. For even though you will only be gone from your time for a little over eight months there it will be far longer in this time. That is why we must keep the balance. To answer the other question. Basically yes. Though unlike a doppelganger, who is an exact replica of the original, your counterparts look nothing like you except Elena's counterpart. Elena is the Petrova doppelganger of her time, in order for us to bring her here we had to bring to life the doppelganger that was never supposed to be born. Your counterparts appearance also changed Elena, just as yours did. We basically spelled you to look like her and she you.” The three spirits paused a moment to let the girls absorb all the information they had just received before they continued, “We have made Elena and Caroline twin sisters. And you are all two years younger than you were when you traveled here. Which would make you all 17 years of age. By the time you are turned with the rest of the Originals you will be the age you were supposed to be when you came here. Your birthdays in your original time have also been changed. Caroline and Elena's birthday is now the twelfth of May and Bonnie's is the fifteenth of May.”

“Really! Why is it I can't seem to get away from being 17!?” groused Caroline completely ignoring the fact that her birthday had changed.

Bonnie and Elena tried to hold back their mirth at the face their friend was displaying but were still shocked that they were younger than when they first appeared in the past. They could understand her ire at being told she was still the age she was when she was turned. None of them were sure how they felt about their new ages and birth dates and asked if it had something to do with their counterparts when the answer came back as a positive they sighed knowing that there was nothing they could do about it.

“Think of it this way Caroline, at least you will eventually turn eighteen this time,” Bonnie stated kindly which had her friend halfheartedly glaring at her.

“What did you mean you had to bring to life the doppelganger that was never meant to be born?”

“Elena was supposed to have had an identical twin sister but she died in the womb. If she had been born she would have been and now is, a combination of both Tatia and Katherine. Where you, Elena, are a light, she most definitely was/is the dark. In your time I think you would call it having an evil twin and the description would be very accurate. So in order for us to bring you here we had to bring her back to life.”

The three of them were shocked by this information wondering how things would change in their time period especially now that they knew Elena had an evil twin running around Mystic Falls. They had to stop thinking about their old lives and then looked at the carnage around them. “So what exactly are we to do now? And what happened here anyway?”

“Werewolf attack. This village had never had any problems with the wolves but a new village of them sprang up not far from here and on the last full moon the villagers were not prepared for the wolves and the entire village died. Well, except you three. Your counterparts were out gathering wood at the time and had taken shelter in a cave.”

“So that's our back story?”

“Well, you three will receive all of your counterparts memories shortly as well as a few that we have changed so it will no longer be a back story but your life. You will need to gather up everything you can and leave the village.”

“Will we ever get back to our original time?” Bonnie asked biting her lip as she could not remember the spell that had brought them there to begin with.

“Yes, and no,” the spirits answered.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Bonnie asked bristling.

“Like we said before you will return in a little over eight months in your original time but again, like we said, it will be far longer here. However, the time you return to will not be the one you remember.”

“Exactly how is it we will be only gone a little over eight months in our time but longer here?” Caroline asked confused.

“You keep saying our original time like that time no longer exists,” Bonnie stated equally confused.

“Well, the answer to that is simple it doesn't exist anymore at least not to your friends and families. The Originals though, will still have their memories of you in your original time as well as their new memories of the here and now. As to how you can only be gone from your original time for a little over eight months when here it will be longer would take forever to explain but to break it down, for every day that passes here only a minute will pass in your original time. We will let you figure out the rest.”

“So when we do return we will actually met our counterparts?! And everyone we knew will have forgotten us or were made to forget when you brought us here?”

“Yes, you would be correct. The Originals, Katherine, Stefan, Damon and Sage, when the time is right, will be the only ones that will remember. The Originals because you were meant to be part of their family, Sage, Damon, Stefan and Katherine ....well you will have to wait and see about that. We can tell you that Elena will be a special vampire once turned again just as she was the first time around.”

“What do you mean I was a special vampire before? Are you saying what Ayana told me was true?” Elena asked baffled after a moment of contemplation.

All three spirits nodded before answering vaguely. “That question will have to wait to be answered.”

Elena was not happy with that answer at all but didn’t force the issue.

The girls didn't know what to think about that. None of them were sure how they felt about never returning to there old lives. Friends and family never knowing them. Part of them was glad that they would forget their old lives as well as their memories of the Originals as they had known them. That they would get to know them as they truly were. The part about Katherine was still up in the air at the moment as none of them really liked the doppelganger vampire. The fact that Stefan and Damon would both have their memories changed as well made Elena somewhat happy, considering that the relationship she had once had with both of the brothers was now obsolete and she could find her happiness with the one she was truly meant to be with.

“But what about my brother?” Elena asked finally.

“Your brother will not have any memory of you but with your stay here his destiny has changed. The young vampire he met in your time will once again be returned to life when the time comes and they will be reunited. He will be happy and will eventually turn though we can not tell you who will do the turning.”

“But why does he have to forget me? Couldn’t he remember me in some way?”

“Elena, it is for the best but we won’t say that he will forever forget. There is still a chance that he will remember and there is an equal chance that he won’t. It will depend on you actually. As it will be your decision when the time comes,” they told her cryptically.

Elena wasn’t sure what to think about that. She also wondered what would cause her to make such decision. Shaking her head she thought about her brother. She knew that Jeremy never did get over Anna’s death and that he missed her. She was contented that he would be happy finally, even of she wasn’t there to watch over him any longer. Some part of her was glad he would forget as they had grown apart before she had had Damon compel him to leave Mystic Falls but another part of her mourned the fact that her only living relative would not remember her. She wondered if it was for the best that his forgot about her but then decided that she couldn’t run his life like she had been.

“And our training with Alaric? Will we forget everything? And how about this conversation will we forget it to?” they asked.

“Actually, as for your training with the hunter, no, you will not. You see all three of the girls you have traded places with have also been trained in battle just as you have. It was one of the reasons they were chosen as your replacements. You will find everything you need in the home over there. And as for you not remembering this conversation the answer is yes, you will forget. You must fall in love with your mates the natural way with no knowledge of who they are to you. You will also not remember your old life when you awaken after you meet your soul mates in this time,” the spirits finished then pointed to a lone house on the edge of the village. “There is one other thing. Seeing as you are in a time not your own and certain things have not happened yet, we had to render Elena and Caroline human again as I am sure the two of you have already figured out, but we also had to make each of you maidens once more as it would have reflected badly on you three had you not been.”

The girls moaned at the last part but accepted the fact that they couldn't change anything. After the spirits finished speaking and telling them in which direction the village of the Original family lay, they faded. Caroline, Bonnie and Elena then went to the hut at the edge of the village that the spirits had pointed out to them and went about gathering up everything they were going to need to start their new lives in this time period, as the spirits had said that they would not be leaving any time soon. They all wondered when their memories of the future would fade and their new memories of this time period would begin.

They procured three horses from the village corral which the wolves had not gone near which Bonnie explained a witch had managed to put up a protection spell shortly before being attacked though had not had time to finish it for the entire village.

“How did you know that, Bonnie?” Caroline and Elena both asked surprised by the statement.

“I can feel the magic which was used,” she explained.

As they were saddling their horses Elena said, “I think we should at least bury everyone. It doesn't seem right to leave them just lying there.”

Bonnie and Caroline agreed and after finishing the saddles they went to bury the dead. When they were finished it was late in the day and they mounted up. As they rode out of the destroyed village they allowed tears to fall for the people who had lost their lives. At least they could now lay in peace.

As they rode away from the village Bonnie asked “Elena, why did Ayana contact you and not me? I meant to ask you before we did the spell but I was trying to make sure we had everything that was needed.”

Elena looked at her best friend and shook her head. She wasn't sure herself why Ayana had chosen to tell her and not her own descendant. “I asked her and she said it was because I was going to change the future but she didn't say how.”

“How are you going to change history? Won’t we all be doing that?” Caroline asked.

“I have no idea how I am going to change history, Care. And I think you are right. We all are going to change history especially if we do complete the bond that was broken in our time.”

“I can’t believe they returned for us,” Caroline stated softly, still not quite believing that Klaus had returned to Mystic Falls for her.

“I know. That was a surprise,” Elena returned just as softly.

“I wonder how they managed to slip into town and none of us even knew about it,” Bonnie whispered, her thoughts on the youngest Original brother who had captured her heart and whom she had rejected just because he was a vampire.

“It could be they didn’t want anyone to know they were there yet,” Caroline and Elena answered together.

Nodding they continued on their way in silence. Several hours later they stopped and made camp as the sun was setting and they were tired from riding most of the day.

As they sat looking up at the stars they thought about everything that had happened to them that day from the time Bonnie cast the spell to the time they left the village behind.

“Do you guys think we will actually be gone as long as they said we will be?” Bonnie asked.

“I think we will. I mean if only one minute passes in our time and a whole day goes by here who is to say we won't be gone for as long as they say we will?” Elena returned.

“At least we won't be gone for a thousand years,” quipped Caroline.

“Actually… I think we will... just not in the same sense as you are thinking.” With that said the girls bedded down for the night and each slowly succumbed to sleep.


	4. The Meeting of Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls meet their soulmates

**_**Chapter 4** _ **

 

****December 11th, 999 – outside Mystic Falls** **

****

The following morning most of their memories of their old life were already starting to fade. They broke camp and continued on until evening fell. They were looking for a good place to make camp when they heard male voices in the distance. They slowed their horses to a slow walk. They dismounted and led their horses towards the voices. As the voices grew louder, the three girls could see what looked like a camp site where three men were sitting around an open fire talking and laughing amongst themselves. The three girls hesitated for a moment, just then realizing the impropriety of being alone with three men. Walking into the camp they began to wonder why they had not been noticed when Elena spoke up, “Hello? Can you help us?” At the sound of a feminine voice all three men turned toward it not expecting company.

“Oh, no, I thought we had time before....” Bonnie and Caroline cried out as they got a good look at the three men sitting on the ground before them. Even dressed as they were and with their hair long the two of them recognized the three men sitting before them.

Elena just stood there in shock. She had recognized Elijah immediately. As a matter of fact, even before she had said anything she had felt the same pull she had when they had first met in the house Trevor and Rose had held her captive in. The attraction was still there which surprised her, but seeing him now was a shock since she had never seen him in anything other than a suit. Seeing him this casual made her heart race wildly much like the way it had when they had first met. In his human form his hair was long and hung to his broad shoulders and he was dressed in leather pants, boots and a loose linen tunic. She had always wondered what he had looked like as a human and now she knew. She wasn't sure what to think as she had never expected to see him like this but she found she was just as attracted to him in this form as in the one she was so used to if not more so.

The three men were at first surprised that three young women had shown up in their camp but then that surprise turned to confusion as they took in the shock on the girls faces. How could they each be wearing a look of shocked recognition when they had never seen these three girls before in their entire lives? How could they possibly know who they were as was evident in the looks the girls were giving each of them.

“Are you alright?” the oldest looking of the three asked walking up to them. His eyes trained on Elena as he spoke. He could not explain it but he felt a strange pull to her.

“Fine!” all three exclaimed louder than they had intended which caused each of them to blush. They knew that there was a strong possibility that they would run into the Originals, but they had just not expected it to be this soon. They had all thought they had time before meeting them as they were headed towards their village but to run into the three men that were destined for them was still a shock. They had not expected that of all the people that they could have come across on their way to the Originals village, they would wind up in the camp of the three Original brothers, Elijah, Niklaus and Kol.

“Are you sure? You seem a little shaken,” Kol questioned his own eyes trained on Bonnie as he came to stand beside his older brother. He could not explain why he felt drawn to the dark skinned beauty but he did.

“We are fine really. We have just been riding for what seems like forever and we are tired and hungry,” Caroline said softly.

“Then join us,” Niklaus offered though he could not help but stare at the beautiful blonde as he also came over to stand by his brothers.

Remembering their history lessons they all tried to refuse the men as it was not proper for an unmarried woman who was not being courted to spend anytime with an unmarried man who was not her intended, but the three men would not take no for an answer and so they ended up joining the three men.

“So why are you all wandering around? Are you lost?” Niklaus asked once the girls had joined them.

“Yes, you did ask if we could help you. Why are you three wondering about? It is dangerous out there especially for a defenseless woman much less three defenseless women,” Kol stated not noticing the bristling the three young women before him did at his words though his eldest brother noticed and wondered why they had reacted that way.

“I would hardly say we are defenseless,” scoffed Caroline and Bonnie before Elena glared at the two of them clearly not wanting them to give up their secret.

Their words took all three men by surprise and each wondered what they could have meant by those words.

Elena decided that they needed to answer the youngest of the three brothers question and spoke for the group, “Our village was attacked by werewolves during the last full moon. We had been out earlier that day gathering wood and didn't make it back to the village before dark. We had to take shelter in a cave. When we returned home we found everyone either dead or dying. That was the first and only time we had ever had something like that happen. We left yesterday, not wanting to stay there. We wouldn't have been unprotected, it's just we didn't want to stay there alone so we left and have been wandering around ever since hoping to come across another village.”

Caroline and Bonnie received images of everything Elena was saying in their minds and realized that the spirits were right about their memories of the other girls lives becoming their own.

Elijah, Kol, and Niklaus watched the girls curiously as Elena answered. When she was finished Elijah asked, “Why is it you don't seem all that upset that your village is gone? And what do you mean by you would hardly be unprotected?” All three of them were clearly confused by the three women.

“We are orphans... My sister and I lost our parents six winters ago to illness and our friend here lost hers the summer before that due to an accident in the woods around our village,” Caroline piped up. Bonnie picked up their sob story, “We all lived together taking care of each other as no one else in the village wanted to look after three orphaned young women.”

“Why would no one take you in? Surely someone would look after you,” Niklaus said turning towards Caroline.

“That is a rather hard question to answer but unfortunately because of how we were raised no one wanted anything to do with us,” Elena answered before Caroline could.

“And yet you are all obviously unattached. Why is that?” Elijah asked watching the three young women before him, his eyes constantly returning to Elena. He was curious as to why such a lovely creature was not married yet.

“We all wanted to marry for love even if it is not tradition to marry for such a strong emotion,” Caroline began, “That and we are considered a bit of an oddity,” Bonnie continued ignoring Elena’s glare.

“How so?” Elijah asked intrigued, his gaze still on Elena.

Instead of answering, Elena, who still couldn't seem to get the blush off her face, left to retrieved her swords from her mount, figuring it would be easier to show the men why they remained unattached. “This is the reason,” she said returning to the group holding up her weapons. “This is also the reason we said that we were hardly unprotected.”

The three men each raised an eyebrow clearly shocked that a maiden would have such a weapon on her. “You know how to use those?” Kol asked clearly not believing the beauty before him had it in her.

“Shall we show you?” Caroline and Bonnie both asked as they went to retrieve their weapons from their horses.

The men nodded. None of them could believe what the women in front of them were saying. They were in shock when the girls began sparring against each other. That these young women were so knowledgeable about the weapons they handled and adept at using them was surprising since most women they knew of didn't.

A few minutes later the girls stopped and turned to look at the three stunned men before them, identical smirks on their faces. “Now you see why we have yet to marry. Not many men want a wife who can defend herself so well,” Elena stated as she sheathed her two swords and returned them to her mount.

The three men could only look at them in astonishment. They had never seen anything so beautiful in their entire lives. The attraction that each of the men felt upon meeting the girls seemed to heighten after their display. They all wanted to ask how they all learned such a skill but the girls all yawned and Elijah noticed the fatigue in each of the girls faces. He decided that they could talk more later on after the girls had rested. “Here, you can rest here miss...” he began then realized that he did not know the girl’s name.

The girls realizing that they had not introduced themselves apologized, “I'm sorry, my name is Elena and this is my twin sister Caroline. Our friend here is Bonnie and you are?” she asked though she already knew.

“It's nice to meet you, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie. I am Elijah and these are my younger brothers Niklaus and Kol.”

“It's nice to meet you,” Elena said with a small smile.

The men showed the girls to their sleeping spots and smiled when the girls drifted off to sleep. They couldn't wait to get to know these three women better.

 

****December 12th , 999 – Outside Mystic Falls** **

 

The following morning the three girls awoke to no memory of their future selves just as the spirits had said would happen. They quickly sat up and looked around only to find themselves right next to the ones who had captures their attention the night before. Blushing, they quickly stood as they prepared to leave, as they knew that it was completely improper to be alone with a man that they were not married to, but changed their minds when they realized that they really didn’t have anywhere else to go and the three men had been kind enough to watch over them the night before. Just then their companions started to awaken.

"Good morning,” the three girls chirped as the men woke up.

Kol smiled and quipped, “It is a very good morning indeed,” his eyes never leaving Bonnie’s as he said this which in turn caused her to blush. Seeing the crimson tinge on her cheeks made him smile.

Elijah looked over to the woman who had somehow caught his attention with one look. His dreams the night before had been filled with only her and he found that he wanted to know her better. “We need to get them to our village as soon as possible,” he said as he stood gathering up his things before turning back to the group.

“You could just point us in the right direction ,” Caroline said as she had noticed that the only horses around were the ones that they had ridden up on the night before.

Niklaus turned to look at her and saw the anxiety in her eyes and quickly figured out why as he watched her eyes dart back and forth between his brothers and the horses the three girls had rode up on the night prior. He turned back to his brothers and told them what he had observed and it had each of the brothers thinking about the best course of action to take.

Elijah finally spoke after turning to look at the girls. “I know this is not exactly proper but we will have to ride back to the village with you. We all know and understand the implications this will cause but we were not planning on being gone for long and walked.”

The three girls shifted nervously looking between each other and the three men before them. They understood what arriving in the village with the three men who were not their husbands or betrothed would do to their reputations but, as they thought about it, their reputations were probably already in tatters because of the night before. Despite that, given how the men acted last night, they had a feeling that these men were honorable and would do what they could to protect them. “We appreciate what you are doing for us and what this will mean for us in the future. We just don't want you to be tied to us when it isn't something that you want,” Bonnie stated softly.

“What if it is something we want?” Kol asked which had all three girls staring at the men with wide shocked eyes.

“You can't mean that!” Elena exclaimed the shock of his words still ringing in her head as she looked at each of the three men her eyes finally stopping and resting on the eldest. She could see the truth of his brother's words reflected in his deep brown orbs which caused her to gasp softly. The attraction she had felt towards him the night before had seemed to double in the light of day. She couldn't understand why she felt so safe with him or why she felt so drawn to him but she knew that he would do anything to keep her safe. How, she didn't know only that she did.

“I assure you, lovely, that we do mean it,” Elijah said coming to stand before Elena.

Elena blushed at the name then looked at her two other companions and nodded in defeat. She knew that there was nothing else they could do. But then an idea came to her mind. “What if we did allow you to ride with us but we separated before coming into the village? Would that keep those in your village from gossiping? It's not like you wouldn't be there soon after or even before we arrived.”

Elijah looked at the woman before him. He could sense her need to protect her sister and friend. “You do have a point and it is a good idea. But we should arrive first so as to greet you. However, there is one other thing that we need to discuss.”

“And that would be?”

“Who you will be staying with, of course. You said yourself last night that in your old village you had no male protector and lived only with your sister and friend. You will need a guardian.”

“Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Yes, but we would need to speak to her first.”

“Who is she?”

“One of our resident witches actually. Her husband died two summers ago leaving her a widow with only one child, a daughter, who is now married. Her home is fairly large and she lives by herself. I do not see her turning the three of you away.”

“Well, if you think she would be willing to take on three young women then...wait won't it seem odd to her that you are asking about her taking in three strangers before we even arrive?”

“She is a witch, Elena. She has her ways of knowing things without us telling her about them. She will know that we met you and she will also want to protect your reputations from any further tarnishing. It's just how she is. However, you three should still wait at least an hour before showing up in the village. It will give me time to talk to her first.”

“You are a very honorable man, Elijah, I thank you for taking such care of three women you do not even know,” Elena told him softly.

“But I would like to get to know you, lovely,” he leaned forward to whisper in her ear before straightening and leaving her to finish breaking camp.

Elena's heart thundered in her chest at his whispered confession and she couldn't help but stare at him as he worked. Soon they were mounted on their horses. Elijah held Elena in front of him as his brothers did the same for the women who had caught their attention. They rode away from camp headed to the village the three men came from.

Elijah held back a groan as he rode behind Elena and he couldn't help but pull her closer to him as they rode away from their campsite. Elena blushed at the feel of him pulling her closer to his solid frame and wondered why she felt so comfortable with him. He noticed the blush and asked if she was alright.

“I'm fine, Elijah,” she answered softly trying hard to get the blush to recede.

“Are you sure you seem a bit flushed,” he returned.

“I’m sure. I was just think…”

“About?”

“Nothing,” she replied again turning red at his inquiry.

He smirked as he had an idea about what or rather whom she had been thinking about and it pleased him to no end that she was thinking about him. The attraction it seemed was not one sided.

After an hour, they stopped to allow the girls to rest and it gave the three men time to talk to the girls.

“I can't believe you walked so far from home!” Bonnie said as she sat in the tall grass beside Kol.

“Well, we are used to it. Besides there are very few horses left at the village at the present time.”

“Why?” Caroline asked as she came to sit by her friend.

“Our father and a few of the men left a few months ago to trade up north. They took most of the horses with them when they left. So, our only recourse was to walk. It's nice not to have to walk all the way back home as it would have taken twice as long to return,” Niklaus said coming to stand behind his blonde beauty.

“I would keep it a secret that you three are so well versed in swordplay. My father would not take kindly to a woman who knows her way around a sword. However, if you like, I could continue your training,” Elijah stated as he and Elena came to stand by the group.

His last comment had her gasping in surprise. “You would do that? Why?”

He wasn't about to tell her it was because he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life as when she and her friends had been sparring the night before. “I want to,” he replied with a shrug.

Elena blushed. Caroline and Bonnie both asked if he would be willing to continue with theirs as well when his brothers told them that they would help.

Soon they were back on the horses and continuing their journey.

“So can you tell me what your family is like?” Elena asked as the rode from their rest area. She silently wondered why he would offer to continue their training. She knew he was attracted to her, his whispered confession just that morning had said as much and she wanted to find out where this bond she felt between them would lead.

“What would you like to know?” Elijah asked, absently holding onto her a little tighter.

“Well for one, are you three the only the children in your family or are there more of you?” she managed to ask while trying to calm her nerves.

He chuckled and answered, “I have one older brother, a younger sister and brother as well as Kol and Niklaus.”

“That is a large family you have there. What are their names if you don't mind me asking.”

“I don't mind at all, lovely. My older brother's name is Finn, he's four years older than myself and a bit standoffish. So don’t expect him to be too sociable. My sister, Rebekah is fifteen and is the only girl in the family. She complains about being smothered, though, I guess, I can't blame her and my youngest brother's name is Henrik, he's twelve.”

“Elijah, you seemed hesitant when you said Rebekah was the only girl in your family. Why is that?” she asked softly.

Sighing and berating himself for letting his emotions through to her so easily, he answered, “We had an elder sister, Freya was her name, who died before I was born. I think that is the reason Finn is so standoffish also, as the two of them were very close before her death.”

“I’m sorry to have brought up such a painful subject,” she stated compassionately.

“It’s alright,” he returned.

“What about you and your brothers here?” she inquired softly, returning to their earlier conversation.

He paused a moment before answering her. He knew that she was only asking to get to know he and his brothers better but a part of him wondered if she was fishing for information about himself which again pleased him as he wanted to know everything he could about her as well. “Kol is eighteen and has inherited a large amount of my mother's power, Niklaus is twenty, he's the artist in the family, something our father hates. He is also the only one who seems to never do anything right in our father's eyes. Though none of us can figure out why.”

“What about you?” she asked shyly.

“I just turned twenty-two a few months ago,” he said trying hard not to laugh when she huffed at the little information he had given on himself. “So now that you know our ages would you mind telling me how old you and your companions are?”

She twisted in the saddle to look at him before answering, “We are all seventeen.”

“May I ask who taught you to wield a sword?” he asked curious to know what man in his right mind would have handed such a dangerous weapon to three young girls. As they could not have been much older than Henrik was now when they had been trained as was evident from their display the night before.

“My father. He was from the old country. He believed that a woman had the right to defend herself should the need arise and taught both Caroline and myself to fight. Bonnie was taught by Caroline and myself as a precaution because of what she is, and we wanted her to have a way to protect herself should her magic fail her. You see Bonnie is a witch. At least she will be if she could continue her training as her mother died before she began her training and the witch in our village only taught her as a favor to Bonnie’s mother.”

“I see, well she would get along great with our two resident witches then.”

“You have two witches in your village?!” she exclaimed and then remembered that he had said his brother Kol had inherited a large portion of their mother’s magic which would make their mother a witch as well. “I’m sorry I forgot, you said your brother had inherited you mother’s power which of course would make her a witch as well…..” she trailed off a blush gracing her cheeks.

He just shook his head and chuckled under his breath before saying, “Yes, well, if your friend is so inclined, she could have her pick as to which one she would prefer to continue her training with.”

“She would appreciate the guidance from whomever is willing to help her, I am sure.”

Returning to the last topic, he asked, “Why would your father teach you such a dangerous skill?”

“I think I already told you that but to go further into it. My mother was a shield maiden when she met my father in the old country. He was so taken with her that he kidnapped her, forcing her hand in marriage. Though they were forced to wed, my mother eventually came to love my father very much. They lost two sets of twin boys before moving from the old country to here. My father despaired of ever fathering a child when my mother gave birth to my sister and I. My father was very protective of us. As we grew the boys of our village would trail behind us teasing us mercilessly until one day Caroline and I got so angry that we managed to pull their weapons from them and threatened them with them. After that my father decided that we needed a way to protect ourselves from over zealous suitors in the future. So our training began. Of course, when it was found out that my father was teaching us to fight most of the boys in the village turned their backs on us. Like I said last night most men do not want a wife who can protect herself. I think that is also one of the reasons no one would take us in when our family died.”

“So your father taught you to be a shield maiden like your mother? You couldn't have been much older then Henrik is now when you began your training. Am I right?” he asked impressed as he had heard about the legendary shield maidens but had never met one until now.

“Yes, he thought it would make mother quite proud to have her daughters following in her footsteps. And you are close. Caroline and I were ten when we began our training. It was a year later that we lost our parents,” she answered.

“You mean you have lived by yourselves with no protector or guardian for the last six years?”

“Yes,” she answered truthfully

“Then this is going to be an adjustment for the three of you.”

“I know. We have gotten used to fending for ourselves and have become quite independent, that is for sure. I do hope we won’t be burden to your friend,” Elena said, the latter part with a touch of worry in her voice.

“I assure you, she will welcome you with open arms. And you could never be a burden, lovely,” he whispered the latter into her ear as he pulled the horse to a stop some distance from his village. Dismounting he helped her down but did not release her immediately. “Remember what I said wait at least an hour before continuing on into the village.”

She could only nod as she tried to get her clambering emotions under control. She did notice that her friends were in a similar frame of mind as they all watched the three men walk away.

“Lena!” Caroline and Bonnie both cried at the look on her face.

“What?” she asked turning back towards them.

“Did he just try to kiss you? Because it certainly looked like he wanted to!” her friend and sister both exclaimed.

"Wait, what? No, of course not. He was just telling me to wait before going to the village. Besides how did you know he wanted to kiss me anyway, you two were just as absorbed in your own partners to pay much attention to me,” she asked eyebrow raised in question.

"Lena, it was kind of obvious. He hasn't kept his eyes off you since last night. Besides that, you didn't see his face as we were riding. That man wants to kiss you make no mistake about that," they both answered before her sister said with a smirk, “I think he likes you, Lena, but I also think you return his feelings.”

Elena smiled softly before answering them, “I think you might be right. So what did you two talk to your riding partners about?” she asked trying hard to draw the attention off herself.

“Oh, nothing much,” both girls said but their blushes told a different story.

Their blushes had her raising an eyebrow. “Oh, come on. I know you talked about something. I wasn't so absorbed in my conversation with Elijah not to notice yours.”

Both girls huffed in annoyance as they could never get anything past Elena's sharp eye. “Fine, they both asked us how we could handle a sword so well.”

“So basically you had the same conversation as I did,” Elena laughed softly.

“It would seem so,” Bonnie said.

“Their village seems bigger than ours,” Caroline commented as they sat on a hill looking down at the village below.

“Yes, it does, but then again there were not many families that lived in our village if you recall.”

The village below them was beside a large river and had long houses in a semi circle around a center community fire. At the edge of the village stood a majestic white oak tree. Unlike their village that had been small huts made of dirt and grass surrounded by forest, these houses were made of wood. They could see a corral with only two horses within and could now understand why the men had been walking. They silently wondered which home below them would be their new one.

After a long wait they remounted their horses and continued on into the village. They were greeted by Elijah, Niklaus, Kol as well as a dark skinned woman who wasn't that much taller than Bonnie. They figured that this was the woman Elijah had told them about. Ayana.

“Ladies, I would like to introduce Ayana, the witch I told you about,” Elijah said as a way of introduction confirming their suspicion.

“It's nice to met you, Ayana. Elijah was kind enough to tell us about you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. He did say that he met you three last night and that he also spent the day with you am I correct?” she asked watching the three girls as each came to stand by each of the brothers. Her keen eyes did not miss the way the three brothers stood protectively beside the girls either. She inwardly smirked with the knowledge she had just gained and made a mental note to ask the girls about it later.

“Yes, it is true but nothing other than talking happened between us I can assure you of that,” Elena said quickly after seeing Ayana looking at them though she couldn't place the look she was seeing in the older woman's eyes.

“I am aware of went on between the three of you girls and my best friends sons,” the witch said with a small smile. She had a feeling the three men were besotted by these three young women. It was the reason for her smile. It would be good for them to find some happiness. “I would also like to make it known that I would have offered to take you three in regardless. I may not have much but I offer you a home with me if you want it.”

The three girls smiled and nodded. “Oh and Bonnie, Kol told me that you just discovered your gift a year ago. Would you mind if I were to mentor you?”

“Thank you, Ayana, I would very much appreciate the help.”

Ayana smiled slyly before turning from the three couples. She had a feeling her three new wards were not going to stay single for long. She had not told anyone but she had known that these three girls were coming and why they were here. She also knew from where the three had come from and that they had no memory of their life before they awoke that morning. Just as she was about to enter her home she turned back to observe the three couples.

“Go, I will see you later. And don't worry about your horse, I will take care of her,” Elijah said to Elena as he gently pushed her towards Ayana's home.

“Thank you for your help Elijah, my sister and I as well as Bonnie appreciate it,” she said walking away from him with her satchel in her arms.

“You three must be exhausted from your journey. Let me show you to your room so you can get some rest.”

The three girls only nodded and followed the elder witch into a small room. “I know it's not much but you should be comfortable here.” They thanked their new guardian then she left with a nod leaving the three girls alone.

 


End file.
